Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandobart
I know you all have real experiences and I can't argue with that. But it really sounds like "the princess and the pea" or Goldilocks stories to me. I play a wide range of stringed instruments and they all have different nut widths, scale lengths, fretboard radius, fret size, body weight, number of frets to the body join, string gage etc. None of these is "just right" for every playing situation, but I easily adapt from one to another multiple times within a performance or practice session.
Maybe its just a guitar phenomenon? I never hear/see fiddle, mandolin, banjo, dobro, upright bass players discuss nut width like we do here.
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It's definitely not just guitar players. I was a trumpet major in college. There are many different brands of trumpets and they all have a slightly different blow. If you're a junior high trumpet player you don't care, as long as it's shinny. But for professional players the smallest difference can feel huge. Obviously I can play on any trumpet (or guitar), but to make my best music I want to think about the instrument not at all while I'm playing. That requires as much comfort as I can find.
I can talk trumpet differences until the cows come home. I'm also pretty good on the flute and play it professionally (although not at symphony orchestra levels). I have $5,000 flute and it sounds pretty good, but in the professional flute world that's a very cheap instrument - $1,500 is probably the normal base price there. I cannot talk flutes until the cows come home. I have not played enough instruments and I don't have the expertise.
I also play quite a bit of piano. I own a Yamaha grand that is only about 20 years old. I was playing our church Steinway Sunday that is about 100 years old and complaining about how loose the action had become. It's a fine 7' grand and I can certainly play it the way it is, but comfort does not take a genius to discern.
I'm pretty sure Chris Thile can talk mandolin nut widths until the cows come home. I'll bet even money YoYo Ma knows cellos. I'm pretty sure that most people who devote hours every day to their instrument know instruments. Maybe not all, but it certainly isn't just guitar players.